Cricket: Jones' grit ousts Pakistan

Wednesday 13 January 1993 00:02 BST

Click to followThe Independent Online

DEAN JONES'S loss of form over the longer haul may have cost him his Test place yet his quality in the sprint remains undimmed, a fact he emphasised in front of 68,000 boisterous fans in Melbourne yesterday by propelling Australia into the final of the one-day World Series Cup at the expense of the World Cup holders, Pakistan.

Despite chipping a bone in his right thumb, Jones was urged on by his vociferous home crowd and ultimately top-scored with 84, adding 124 for the second wicket with David Boon to guide the hosts to 212 for 6 from their allotted 50 overs. The captain, Allan Border, completed 6,000 runs in one-day internationals in the process.

Requiring victory to retain any hope of facing the West Indies in the best-of-three final starting on Saturday, Pakistan lost two early wickets and never recovered their poise despite 40s from Rameez Raja and Javed Miandad, leaving Australia victorious by 32 runs.